CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 398, 21 September 1875, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, September 20. The usual weekly meeting was held in the Council Chamber. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Crs Ick, Gapes, Jones, Schmidt, Wood, Turner, and Thompson. The town clerk reported receipts for the week to be as follow :—From rate collector, account general city rates, 1875, £199 9s; from Provincial Government, second instalment of grant, £1250; from rate collector, account Waimakiriri rate, £33 4s lOd ; fines from Resident Magistrate's Court, £6 5s ; Jbalance due on account of Conference street, £9 10s; two horses sold, £39 3s 6d ; licenses, market place rent, and building fee, £2 12s. Total receipts, £1540 4s 4d. Overdraft at bank on general account, £2372 18s 9d;doon drainage account, £2047 16s 7d •, drainage rate account, Cr., £1458 18s 2d ; wages to be paid on general account, £l3B 68 ; on drainage account, £52 2s. The, Mayor said that as a mistake had occurred with reference to the special meeting relating to the borrowing powers, it was found necessary to. commence de novo, and Councillors would in due course receive a notice of a special meeting to be held during the' week. L C' ' - ! '' ■* - Cr Jones moved, and Cr Gapes seconded, a resolution, which was unanimously carried —" That the town clerk be requested to write a letter of condolence to; Mrs Raphael and family, expressing the sympathies of the Mayor and City Councillors with her and their great afiliction and bereavement." The city surveyor reported—- " 1. I have examined into the matter complained of by Mr Widdowson last week, and find that nothing can be done to improve it until the concrete channel' is laid. "2. Now that the Madras street bridge is commenced, it would be desirable to have the necessary timber delivered, " 3. I beg to annex hereto a statement showiug the cost of Montreal street bridge, viz, £945 2s 2d." ' The clauses of the report were approved, and on the motion of Cr Ick, it ; was resolved to call for tenders for the timber to be used in the construction of Madras street bridge. The following letter was read, from his _ Honor the ; Superintendent, dated Wellington, 16th September, addressed to Mr'Hobbs, chairman ,of the Drainage Conference—"My dear Sir,i—The Drainage Bill went through its third reading in the Lower House last night. Having received the resolution of the City Council affirming the concurrence in its provisions, and also the opinion of the members of the Drainage Conference in the same direction, I did not think that I should bejustified in furtherdelaying the Bill at this period of the session. There will still be an opportunity in the Upper House of amending the Bill if thought desirable, but as the representative body of the city, and also the members of the conference, have agreed upon it, I could not well promote that which had not their approval. The Hon Mr Buckley has charge of the Bill in the Upper House." Received with thanks. Letters were read from the office of the Secretary for Public Works, asking, in the first place, particulars of expenditure of second instalment of grant, and acknowledging satisfactory reply, and stating that a voucher was payable at the Treasury. I : 4r letter was read from W, Edwards,

pedestrian, asking'the patronage of the Council to a feat JoKpedestriamsm to walk 105 miles within twenty-four hours. Resolved—" That the town clerk be instructed to acknowledge receipt of the letter." A letter was read from Mr W. F. Warner, asking to have the front of his premises kerbed and channelled on the usual terms. Resolved—" That the work be carried out on the prescribed conditions." A letter was read from Messrs Edwards, Bennett, and Co, applying for a permission to lay down a Cambridge, on 4heir premises in Lichfield street. .. _ rT Granted, ; under the* supervision of the surveyor. A letter was read from Mrs E. Stookdale, asking to have her * ; ' Referred to the rate collector torepbrt. A letter was read from some ratepayers on the South side of "Salisbury street west, asking the Council to r have the footpath shingled.'. . >■" ■■ r- «« '->;•■'' "• 1 S Referred to the worki committee. 7 , A number of circulars addressed frdm'Mr J. Newton ( relating ISO a stone-breaking machine, were referred to the works committee, r '■.■ > -jn '.; y k j I A note was received from Mr H.J. Hall withdrawing his, .previous letter to the Council. .->< A letter .was read from the Provincial Secretary, addressed tb the Mayor, saying that as the Drainage Bill appeared likely to pass during the present session of the General Assembly, he. would .to confer with him'as to the appbintmentbf r an engineer, under the resolution of the Provincial Council; to scheme.and estimate for a system of drainage of Christchurch and suburbs. He had asked Mr E. G. WrigH and Mr H. J. Tancrdd to meet him for the same purpose. The- letter; was read by the' Mayor, and heard with thanks by the Council. " The followingrreport of the finance committee was, read :—■". In accordance with the resolution of the. Council, we have to report that after perusing Mr Ballance's Municipal Corporations Loans Bill, we consider it to .be, on'the whole, a very good Bill. It simplifies the machinery at present in use for borrowing,money.; and although it gives the ratepayers the power to prevent a loan being raised;/'Bhbuld : tney Wish to do so, and farther, gives much greater security to the public creditors, yet we still think, with one or two slight alterations, such- as extending the time from forty to fifty years, it is desirable that it should become law." ; - The.report wasTOceived, and afteria alight •discussion was adopted..- < i'i : >■. ,' •: >j Cr Turner mpyed,. after permission, to amend—" That the ordinary meetings of the Council'be held'each Friday at three o'clock in the,aftemoqn.'' ~. Or Thompson secbrided the motion. After Cr Turner had dwelt on the advanrtageand Jrasjness hours that must "follow .on* the affirmation of his resolution, Councillors had addressed themselves to the subject, the resolution-was. 4iu<j,and carried by.one vote. *Cr Turner here interjected that, by the carrying of his resolution, they would be enabled to pay the laborers in the employ of the Councilori Saturday instead of" on Tuesday. Or Ick would : submit that under the byelaws two weeks' notice of> a determination to alter a resolution of the hours of meeting, already on the booksr should be given. At least, before being determined on, he would desire' that it 'should be : submitted to the solicitor as: r to : ; jts. -,lpgality. He would move a resolution-to-that effect. Or Jones ,secopde,d^tfaeresolution, y / rAt the request of,Or Turner, the Mayor said that, looking through the Act, he saw nodifficulty as regarded the validity of the resolu* tion. : ;.. ..- :. , Cr Ick would still prefer that the opinion of the solicitor should be first taken. Cr Turner would, under any circumstances, prefertbbow to the ruling of the chair, and that he. would always support/ In'thus desiring to support.bis 'Worship, he felt that the Mayor would-not move in this matter without he were well a'dviSCd' as to " the legality of the steps-he might be taking. The subject then: dropped, the .resolution being carried. ',;,':;•> j Cr Ick moved " That the town clerk be directed to give the; nbtices JeqnirecT under clause 144 of the Municipal: Corporations Act, 1867, relating to, making a special order re the borrowing of £9OOO for drainage purposes, and that a special meeting of the Council be held .on Friday, 22nd day of October, at 2.45 p.m." "Cr Gapes seconded the resolution, which was carried, -r- T -. ,"~ Crick moved "That a deputation from the Council,, consisting of the Mayor, Ora Thompson, Wood, and the mover, wait upon the Executive Government, with a view of respectfully'representing that a reduction of the rates of wharfage, and haulage upon coals from Lytte'lton is. -necessary,- as the increased price of .'coals presses hardly upon the people of Chrisfch'urcb." Cr Thompson seconded the motion. Some discussion followed; after which the resolution was put and carried. A stage coach license was granted to Phillip Ball. The -Council then adjourned to Friday next, at three o'clock in the afternoon.